#18 Purdue Battles UCLA in Big Ten Tournament Semifinal Showdown – Purdue Boilermakers

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
[18] Purdue (25-8) vs. UCLA (23-10)
Saturday, March 14, 2026 | 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT
Chicago, Illinois | United Center (20,917)
TELEVISION: CBS (Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, Tracy Wolfson)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)

PURDUE’S NUMBERS
• Overall: 25-8 | Big Ten: 13-7
• Home: 12-5 | Away: 8-3 | Neutral: 5-0
• Q1: 9-8 | Q2: 6-0 | Q3: 7-0 | This fall: 3-0
• NCAA NET: tenth | KenPom: eighth
• NCAA SOS: eighth | KenPom SOS: ninth

THE NEWS AND NOTES
• No. 18-ranked Purdue superior to its eleventh Big Ten semifinals with a dominating 74-58 win over No. 11-ranked Nebraska in the quarterfinals. Purdue has reached the semifinals for the fourth time in the final 5 seasons (2022 – Finals; 2023 – Champs; 2024 – Semifinals).
• Purdue has but to path in this week’s Big Ten Tournament and its 16-level win was its largest in the Big Ten Tournament since a 76-59 win over Michigan in the 2016 semifinals.
• Purdue has received 5 straight video games in the United Center, successful the match title in 2023 in the constructing and the primary two video games in this yr’s match. Purdue received a number of video games in the Big Ten Tournament for the primary time since successful the title in 2023.
• The Boilermakers moved to 25-8 with the victory over Nebraska. Matt Painter now has 12, 25-win seasons at Purdue, the second most in Big Ten historical past behind Tom Izzo’s 16.
• Purdue improved to five-4 this season in opposition to ranked groups, however is 5-0 away from Mackey Arena in opposition to ranked groups. Purdue is 13-3 on the season away from Mackey Arena, successful eight of the video games by at the very least 10 factors.
• Purdue’s 4 wins over prime-15 groups away from Mackey Arena are tied for the second most in the nation (Arizona – 7; Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin – 4). Purdue’s three wins by 15 or extra factors over ranked groups are third most in the nation (Arizona, Florida – 4).
• The win over No. 11-ranked Nebraska was Purdue’s first over a ranked group in Big Ten Tournament historical past (now 1-9).
• Purdue is now 9-3 in the Big Ten Tournament because the 2022 occasion, essentially the most wins in the match amongst all Big Ten groups (Wisconsin – 8).
The Boilermakers can be making their eleventh semi-closing look.
• Purdue is the one group to have received at the very least one sport in the Big Ten Tournament in every of the final 5 seasons (because the 2022 match).
• In the win over Nebraska, Purdue had 20 assists on 26 made area objectives, and in two Big Ten Tournament video games, Purdue had 45 assists on 56 made area objectives. The Boilermakers now have a 2.19 help-to-turnover ratio on the season, a present NCAA file.
• Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer have set a college file for many wins in a Big Ten Tournament with seven.
• Purdue is 20-1 this season when holding foes underneath 48.0 % capturing from the sphere. When opponents shoot over 48.0 %, Purdue is 5-7.
• Purdue is 16-1 this season when holding foes to 69 or fewer factors. The lone loss got here to UCLA (69-67) on Jan. 20, in Pauley Pavilion.
• Braden Smith has moved into second place on the NCAA profession assists record with 1,055, needing 22 assists to move Bobby Hurley (1,076) for the highest spot. Smith wants three assists to turn into the second participant in NCAA historical past (Avery Johnson) to have two seasons of 300 assists.
• Braden Smith is averaging 13.0 assists per sport in the course of the Big Ten Tournament, however is simply 3-of-16 capturing from the sphere (5.0 PPG).
• Braden Smith is the one participant in NCAA historical past to have three seasons of at the very least 450 factors, 250 assists and 100 rebounds.
• Braden Smith wants 4 factors, three assists and 5 rebounds for 475 factors, 300 assists and 125 rebounds for the second time in his profession. Just three different gamers (Oakland’s Kay Felter, Murray State’s Ja Morant, ETSU’s Keith Jennings) have reached these marks.
• The Boilermakers are 24-2 in their profession when Fletcher Loyer makes 4 or extra 3-pointers in a sport. Loyer is averaging 14.2 factors per sport, capturing 19-of-40 (.475) from deep in the final 5 video games. Loyer has made at the very least two 3-pointers in 13 straight video games.
• CJ Cox you could have simply 9 turnovers in 799 minutes this season. Over the final 26 video games (628 minutes), he has 4 turnovers.
• CJ Cox is averaging 12.4 factors per sport over the past 5 video games, capturing 13-of-31 (.419) from 3-level vary.
• Trey Kaufman-Renn he has scored in double-figures in 9 straight video games, averaging 16.1 factors, 8.1 rebounds and a couple of.4 assists.
• Omer Mayer has 24 factors (8.0 PPG) in 43 minutes over the past three video games, capturing 10-of-21 from the sphere and 4-of-12 from deep.
• Gicarri Harris is capturing 22-of-45 (.489) from lengthy distance away from Mackey Arena. In residence video games, he was 7-of-36 (.194).
• In video games that Oscar Cluff performs at the very least half-hour, Purdue is 6-0. In these video games, he’s averaging 14.3 factors, 9.0 rebounds and a couple of.2 assists, whereas capturing 35-of-46 (.761) from the sphere.